Burrowes, Thomas

Born in 1796 in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, Thomas Burrowes served as a Corporal in the Royal Sappers and Miners from 1813 until 1824, the last nine years of his enlistment being in Canada. Following a short stay in England Burrowes returned to Canada with his family in 1826, and secured a position as Overseer of Works on the Rideau Canal construction project. Thomas Burrowes worked with John Burrows, a fellow Overseer of Works, who claimed that he trained Thomas Burrowes in the skills of surveying, preparing Thomas for his registration as a Provincial Surveyor. Later promoted to Clerk of Works of the southern section of the Rideau Canal, Burrowes continued in this service until 1846. Based at Kingston Mills during these years, he chose to retire there at the end of his service, taking up the roles of farmer, postmaster and Justice of the Peace in the local community. During these years, Burrowes lived in his cottage"Maplehurst" overlooking the Rideau waterway and Kingston. Burrowes died in 1866 and was buried in the Cataraqui Cemetery.

Biographical sketch adapted from: OSBORNE, Brian S.. The Artist as Historical Commentator: Thomas Burrowes and the Rideau Canal. Archivaria, [S.l.], p. 41-59, jan. 1983. ISSN 1923-6409. Available at: http://archivaria.ca/index.php/archivaria/article/view/11019/11954. Date accessed: 08 Aug. 2019.